Sathgen Therapeutics has been incorporated in Princeton, New Jersey, USA, as a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Godavari Biorefineries. The expansion strengthens Godavari Biorefineries’ clinical stage biotechnology presence in the US, with a primary focus on global out-licensing of Intellectual Property (IP) and to build the network to accelerate the drug-development programme.

“The establishment of Sathgen Therapeutics represents an exciting new chapter in our journey of translating science into meaningful solutions. Fifteen years ago, we asked ourselves a simple but bold question: Why shouldn’t India, long known as the pharmacy of the world for its generics, also contribute to original drug discovery. This ‘moonshot’ approach has guided our efforts across both biorefining and specialty chemicals, and now in breakthrough therapeutics. In this programme, we chose to address one of the toughest challenges—Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), a condition with limited treatment options and difficult prognosis. With contributions from Dr Mani, particularly in the innovative targeting of cancer stem cells, our aim has been not only to advance scientific understanding, but also to meaningfully improve patient outcomes. The opening of our US subsidiary strengthens our ability to bring this vision closer to reality,” said Samir Somaiya, Chairman and Managing Director, Godavari Biorefineries.

Sathgen Therapeutics has also formed a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to guide its clinical development and translational-research strategy. The SAB includes Dr Razelle Kurzrock, an internationally known authority in precision oncology, immunotherapy and early-phase clinical trials, and Dr Massimo Cristofanilli, a leading global expert in metastatic breast cancer and cancer biology. Their combined experience in oncology, patient stratification and clinical trial design will play a pivotal role as Sathgen advances its portfolio toward US partnerships and next-phase development.

“Establishing our US presence gives us a strong platform to engage more closely with partners who can carry our technologies into the next stages of development. My focus is on building meaningful collaborations that enable the efficient outlicensing and advancement of our discoveries, ensuring they reach the patients who need them the most,” said Dr Padmaja Ganapathy, CEO, Sathgen Therapeutics USA.

Sathgen Therapeutics originated from an idea proposed by Dr Sendurai Mani, an initiative supported by Samir Somaiya, Chairman and Managing Director, Godavari Biorefineries. Together, they laid the foundation for a long term research effort that has since evolved into an active programme focused on discovering and developing multiple novel molecules. Several candidates have shown promising preclinical efficacy, particularly in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and novel class of compounds that inhibit cancer and cancer stem cells in vitro, with strong activity observed in breast and prostate cancer models. Building on this progress, Sathgen has secured patents in US, Europe, China and other key markets.

“Our scientific approach has always centred on uncovering the biological drivers behind the most aggressive cancers. By targeting cancer stem cells, we see a strong opportunity to impact conditions like TNBC, where treatment options are limited. With the launch of our US subsidiary, we are excited to deepen our collaborations with global scientific and clinical partners and advance discoveries that have the potential to transform patient outcomes,” said Dr Sendurai Mani, Chief Scientific Officer, Sathgen Therapeutics USA.

Dr Sangeeta Srivastava, Executive Director, Godavari Biorefineries and Head, Drug Discovery Division, said, “At Sathgen, our mission is to translate science into impactful therapies. The formation of our US subsidiary will help accelerate our clinical programmes, enable stronger research collaborations, and bring us closer to delivering innovative therapies for patients globally.”